HTC One unveiled: UltraPixel camera wonder coming in March

The HTC One is easily one of the most important devices HTC has ever released as it tries to regain its profitable positions and return it to positive dynamics, and now the One handset to help it achieve those goals has finally become official.

The HTC One brings big improvements in four key areas - camera quality with a new BSI camera with optical image stabilization and UltraPixel technology, a premium metal unibody design, a new simplified HTC Sense Android experience and enhanced stereo sound.

The HTC One comes with a brand new design, one that reminds us the HTC Droid DNA and the iPhone 5 of course. Dominated by a 4.7-inch 1080p full HD Super LCD3 display protected by Gorilla Glass 2 and with a pixel density of the whopping 468ppi, it features two speakers for stereo sound on the front.

Overall, it looks premium all-around with an aluminum unibody crafted with what would instantly remind you of Apple - starting from the material and down to the two distinct strips where the speakers are located and the rounded chamfered edges. Looking at it, we’re wondering whether Apple is not already gearing up for another lawsuit.

On the inside, the HTC one is running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean with a brand new and simplified HTC Sense skin. It stands out with the BlinkFeed feature, a home panel filled with large tiles of your latest updates from social networks and apps.

Additionally, HTC has baked in Sense TV turning your HTC One into a TV remote (using an infrared blaster built in the power button). The Sense TV feature also acts as an interactive program guide.

HTC One: the processor and internals

Powered by Snapdragon 600

The HTC One is one of the first devices featuring the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 with a quad-core 1.7GHz Krait 300 processor. The chip also known as the APQ8064T is the 2013 successor to the Snapdragon S4 Pro, and compared to it, the Snapdragon 600 is expected to improve performance by up to 40%. The Snapdragon 600 has actually already been confirmed to be in the LG Optimus G Pro, and we expect it to arrive in many more devices in the second quarter of the year.

The handset also features Adreno 320 graphics and 2GB of RAM, a powerful combination that will help for smooth rendering of the millions of pixels on the 4.7-inch 1080p display.

The HTC One comes in two versions with plentiful storage, one of 32GB capacty and a 64GB one. There is no microSD card slot to further expand on-board storage.

In terms of connectivity, the HTC One, of course, supports 4G LTE, but it also has an NFC chip and Bluetooth 4.0, along with the standard Wi-Fi a/ac/b/g/n and GPS with Glonass.

HTC One: UltraPixel Camera and improved BoomSound

A new HTC UltraPixel Camera

Probably the biggest innovation in the HTC One however we saved for last - the HTC UltraPixel Camera. HTC does not name the official megapixel count, but what matters is not the pixels here, it is how HTC is using them.

With ultrapixels HTC dares put an end to the megapixel race and instead to the sensible thing of increasing pixel size, and thus the amount of captured light. The end result is drastically better low-light images as the new and larger ⅓” image sensor captures 300% more light than previously possible with conventional smartphone cameras.

The sensor itself is a 4-megapixel backside-illuminated (BSI) with f/2.0 aperture and a 28mm wide-angle lens. The camera is also relying on a new dedicated HTC ImageChip 2 for fast image processing.

Additionally, HTC is bringing a ton of little tweaks to the camera with new features HTC Zoe that creates 3-second animated short clips making your memories come alive.

Finally, sound is also given a boot with HTC BoomSound, the dual front stereo speaker setup (the speakers come with built-in amps) and Beats Audio support. Recording in videos is clearer with an HDR microphone.

HTC One price and release date: is it the One?

HTC has really improved every important aspect of the phone’s experience with the HTC One. At first sight, it is an absolutely brilliant phone with a gorgeous design. But last year HTC had a similarly brilliant One X as its flagship (truth is it had sub-par battery life), with a best-in-class screen and a beautiful design, and it still couldn’t make a dent in the Samsung-Apple duopoly.

The HTC One will be released in March on a whopping 185 carriers in over 80 markets. In the United States it will launch on AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, with Verizon notably missing from that list.

And this year, HTC will hopefully market the new One enough to give it a chance against Samsung and Apple.

London and New York City, February 19, 2013 — HTC, a global leader in mobileinnovation and design, today announced its new flagship smartphone, the new HTCOne. Crafted with a distinct zero-gap aluminium unibody, the new HTC One introducesHTC BlinkFeedTM, HTC ZoeTM and HTC BoomSoundTM, key new HTC Sense®innovations that reinvent the mobile experience and set a new standard forsmartphones.

“People today immerse themselves in a constant stream of updates, news andinformation. Although smartphones are one of the main ways we stay in touch with thepeople and information we care about, conventional designs have failed to keep pacewith how people are actually using them,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “Anew, exciting approach to the smartphone is needed and with the new HTC One, wehave re-imagined the mobile experience from the ground up to reflect this new reality.”HTC BlinkFeed: A personal live stream right on the home screen

At the centre of the new HTC One experience is HTC BlinkFeed. HTC BlinkFeed is abold new experience that transforms the home screen into a single live stream ofpersonally relevant information such as social updates, entertainment and lifestyleupdates, news and photos with immersive images so that people no longer need to go toseparate applications to find out what’s happening. HTC BlinkFeed aggregates thefreshest content from the most relevant and interesting sources, giving it to people at aglance, all in one place, without the need to jump between multiple applications and websites.

To enable this new dynamic approach to the smartphone, HTC will provide both localand global content from more than 1,400 media sources with more than 10,000 articlesper day from some of the most innovative media companies, such as the AOL family ofmedia properties, ESPN, MTV, Vice Media, CoolHunting, Reuters and many others. Formore information on HTC BlinkFeed’s content partners, visit the HTC Blog.

HTC UltraPixel Camera with HTC Zoe

The breakthrough HTC UltraPixel Camera redefines how people capture, relive andshare their most precious moments. HTC Zoe gives people the ability to shoot high-resphotos that come to life in three-second snippets. These Zoes, photos and videos arethen displayed in a unique way that brings the gallery to life and transforms thetraditional photo gallery of still images into a motion gallery of memories. It alsoautomatically creates integrated highlight films from each event comprised of Zoes,photos and videos set to music with professionally designed cuts, transitions and effects.

These highlight videos can be remixed or set to different themes, and can be easilyshared on social networks, email and other services.

To enable this innovative camera experience, HTC developed a custom camera thatincludes a best-in-class f/2.0 aperture lens and a breakthrough sensor with UltraPixelsthat gather 300 percent more light than traditional smartphone camera sensors. Thisnew approach also delivers astounding low-light performance and a variety of otherimprovements to photos and videos. In addition, the perfect self-portrait or video is just atap away with an ultra-wide angle front-facing camera which supports 1080p videocapture. Multi-axis optical image stabilisation for both the front and rear cameras alsohelps ensure video footage smoother whether stationary or on the move. HTCUltraPixel camera adds many other features and effects such as enhanced 360'panorama, time sequencing and object removal.

HTC BoomSound

The new HTC One offers the best audio experience of any mobile phone availabletoday. HTC BoomSound introduces for the first time on a phone, front-facing stereospeakers with a dedicated amplifier and an amazing full HD display that immersespeople in music, videos, games and the YouTubeTM clips they love. BeatsTM Audiointegration is enabled across the entire experience for rich, authentic sound whetheryou’re listening to your favorite music, watching a YouTube video or playing a game.HDR recording uses advanced dual microphones and audio processing to captureclean, rich sound that is worthy of high-definition video footage. Phone calls sound greaton HTC One thanks to the addition of HTC Sense VoiceTM, which boosts the call volumeand quality in noisy environments so that conversations come through loud and clear.

HTC Sense TVTM

HTC Sense TV transforms the new HTC One into an interactive program guide andremote control for most TVs, set-top boxes and receivers. Tapping the power of thecloud, Sense TV makes it simple and intuitive to see what’s on and find that favouriteshow.

Metal Unibody Design

Wrapped in a zero-gap aluminium unibody and sporting a brilliant 4.7”, Full HD (1080p)screen, the new HTC One features the latest Android Jelly Bean operating system andLTE network technology to offer blazingly-fast browsing in a package that combinespremium design with breakthrough build quality.

Founded in 1997, HTC Corp. (HTC) is the creator of many award-winning mobiledevices and industry firsts. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTCpushes the boundaries of design and technology to create innovative and personalexperiences for consumers around the globe. HTC's portfolio includes smartphones andtablets powered by the HTC Sense® user experience. HTC is listed on the Taiwan StockExchange (TWSE: 2498). For more information, please visit www.htc.com.

Agreed, and while I would have liked the screen to take up a bigger portion of the front of the phone (lots of extra bezel), the aluminum design is sturdy and it's territory that HTC has been successful with. I personally prefer the One X's design and polycarbonate material, but if Samsung's GSIV looks anything like the GSIII than HTC will continue to make better built/looking phones.

who needs an sd card when u have a 60 gig of internal
2300 mah lol the butterfly has 2000 and has good bettery life according to gsmarena
so the yea gs4 will be a hit but not like every year since the only places where sammy could beat htc were battery life and performance and with 2300 mah and the s4 600 i dont think
so gs4 no thanks jeff

Unfortunately now that I think about it, wouldn't someone just buy a Windows Phone if they wanted the new Sense UI? You buy Android to experience Android, why would they change it so drastically and seemingly similar to WP?

Mega pixels determines how LARGE the photo is. Quality is something you can't change. Every phtotographer knows that some dslrs are better than others despite having a smaller mp size because quality of quantity when it comes to pictures. When you zoom in on a higher quality picture, its going to be better than a high megapixel picture.

Reason HTC didnt make dent on Samsung with last 'flagship' was unlike Samsung with the SGS3 they didnt tick all the boxes and ignored buyers requests for expandable memory i.e mSD slot. From the above it appears they still haven't listened !

I seek an 'all-in-one' device, a real smartphone that has all expected functionality, so when I leave the house, I take just 1 gizmo. I need an FM Radio to get news when no internet coverage. So it appears this in NOT 'the one'. All the tech sites say with HTC's repeated failures to get back in the market, this 'One' is their last chance. So why do they sink their ship for a half-penny worth of tar ? So many buyers want flexibility of SD memory which costs less than a dollar - why omit it ?

go easy on me when i say this. im new. but i have an iphone 5. and i feel worthless compared to all these new droids. i feel behind. i want this phone! i dont even know why the iphone 5 is going up against these big guys.

I think lack of SDcard and Battery life still gona be an big issue for htc One like last flagship htcOneX+ . 2300mAh battery is not enough for this kind of hd display with 468ppi & heavy processor.
So RIP HTC >>>>GS4 please !!

why hp? why? Why can't you put a better battery in your phones. Do you completely ignore all your critics?

This phone looks absolutely amazing, but the achilles heel still appears to be there. Maybe I'll be proven wrong and this phone will get amazing battery life out of a small batter (like the iphone), but if not it's going to be such a shame for such an awesome looking device.

"Looking at it, we’re wondering whether Apple is not already gearing up for another lawsuit" - I don't think there will be any lawsuit here... I'm sure that phone design was part of the licensing agreement that the 2 companies came to last...Plus with Tim Cook as CEO, he does not like litigation so stop wondering because the answer is No :-) or at least I hope so.

And then Samsung will came with their boring S4 and the she*ps will buy it just because is S4,not for other reason.
It's pi*ty for them not to take a look and realize that HTC One is the best designed smartphone with that sexy full metal body.S4 will be just a plastic,ugly designed,I bet that!

The better ONE
1. The front and back looks similar to the back of iphone5.
2. The screen size could be bigger compared to overall dimensions of device (without that black frame surrounding the screen).
3. there is no slot for microSD.
4. 32/64GB? 64/128GB could be better.
5. Maybe 2300mAh looks good, but 3300 could be better.

shoot, it does have a small battery (because you know, i'm MAXX'd) but i'd still take a black one. Sense 5 is still SLIGHTLY ugly but there's some real interesting stuff going on with it, i love that this has an aluminum body with dual front facing stereo speakers and an IR Blaster (really miss that from my Xyboard 8.2) and when it comes to that UM Camera, it's definitely different but i've learned to have faith in HTC when it comes to Cameras as that is one of their fortes. all of that with a 1080p Display and a Snapdragon 600 makes this the best well rounded Smartphone out now. o:

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